Cot tents



July 8, 1958 w. G. BODLING Q 2,841,803

- COT TENTS Filed Aug. 1'7, 1955 United States Patent COT TENTS WalterG. Bodling, Austin, Tex.

Application August 17, 1955, Serial No. 528,907 1 Claim. (Cl. -113) Thisinvention relates to improvements in outdoor sleeping devices and isparticularly directed to a novel cot tent of the type which includes acot having a protective coverage for protecting a sleeper from theelements, insects and the like.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide simple andeasily attached and detached means for erecting a combination meshnetting and canvas tent coverage over a cot and for securing suchcoverage to the frame of the cot.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a foldableridge pole, which horizontally overlies the longitudinal center line ofthe cot and is composed of hinged sections that are held in rigidalignment by a novel and simple means, and which is secured to the endbars of the cot frame by easily attached uprights.

A further important object of this invention is to provide a novelcombination mesh netting and canvas cover arrangement which is disposedover the ridge pole and is so constructed that the canvas cover can befolded onto itself at one end to expose the netting, thereby providingfor greater ventilation, while still protecting the occupant frominsects and the like.

A still further object of this invention is to provide such a coverarrangement with ties for anchoring it to the side and end bars of thecot frame, such ties being so provided and the cover being so formed asto overhang the bars and be secured by the ties against the outer sidesthereof.

The foregoing and ancillary objects are attained by this invention, thepreferred form of which is set forth in the following description andillustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein;

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the cot tent of this invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse, cross-sectional view taken on line 2-2 ofFigure 1.

Figure 3 is a detail, perspective view of the hinge arrangement for theridge pole.

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the hinge pole in a foldedcondition, and,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view partly in section of thejuncture between the uprights and the ridge pole.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawing, the numeralgenerally designates the cot tent, which includes a cot 12 ofconventional construction and including side rails or bars 14 and endrails or bars 16. A body supporting sheet of canvas or similar material15 is stretched between such rails to support an occupant. End andcenter pairs of hinged, cross legs 18 support the end rails and the siderails.

The present invention relates more specifically to a novel tent coverand mounting means therefor, such being indicated generally by thereference numeral 20 and including a frame 22. The frame includesuprights 24 and 26 which have pins 28 extending axially from their lowerends and adapted to be socketed in vertical holes 30 formed medially inthe end rails. The upper ends of the uprights terminate in axiallyextending pins 32 which fit in holes 34 in the ends of the ridge pole36, such hole 34, as shown in Figure 5, being formed only through thebottom of the ridge pole.

The ridge pole 36 includes sections 36a and 36b which are hingedtogether by a hinge means 38, shown in Figure 3. As shown therein, thejuxtaposed ends of the pole sections are pivoted by pins 40 betweenparallel, confronting bars 42 and 44. The bars are held in fixed spacedrelationship by a transverse Web or bridge portion 46 which connects thebottom edges of the bars at the centers of the bars. The pole sectionsare pivoted between the confronting end portions of the bars by the pins40 which extend transversely therethrough. The free ends of the polesections are spaced slightly apart, when the sections are in alignmentand are held by the web or bridge portion. The pole sections arepivotable from such end to end alignment into parallel positions, asshown in Figure 4. The weight of the covering on the ridge pole issupported by the ridge pole sections, resting on the bridge portion andsupported on the uprights.

The covering 48 includes an underneath mesh netting 50 and an outercanvas or duck cover 52. The netting has side flaps 54 and end flaps 56which fit on the outer sides of the side and end rails 14 and 16 of thecot frame. The end flaps are arranged, when the netting is laid flat, atright angles to the side flaps so that the projecting ends of the endrails 16 of the cot frame extend between the ends of the flaps, whichhave complementary tie strings 58 that tie around such ends. The sideflaps 54 have ties 60 that tie around the side rails 14 at the centersthereof, where the canvas 15 is slightly out back to accommodate thecenter pair of legs 18. By such construction, the side and end flaps 56and 54 of the netting overhang the cot frame and prevent insects fromgaining access to the interior of the covering.

The outer canvas cover 52 is a separate member from the netting andoverlies the netting and is cut identically to the cut of the netting.Both of the ends of the netting and canvas are triangular and arecentrally bisected into two flaps which have spearate ties so thateither or both can be folded over onto the sides of the cover ornetting.

Thus, both the mesh netting inner cover 50 and the outer cover 52 ofcanvas or similar material are formed so that the bottom edges of theside and end sections terminate in flaps which lie along the outsides ofthe side and end rails 14 and 16 and which have ties 58 and 60 that canbe looped around the extending ends of the end rails.

The canvas outer cover 52 is separate from the inner netting cover 50 sothat it can be folded over onto itself, from either end.

The cot 12 is erected by spreading the legs apart and securing the endrails 16 on pins extending from the side rails, thereby securing theside and end rails in rectangular frame formation. The uprights 24 and26 are socketed by the pins 28 in the holes 30 and the ridge pole isunfolded and the sections 36a and 36b and disposed in end to endalignment and the holes 34 in the outer ends of the sections receive thepins 32 on the upper ends of the uprights. The netting cover 5%) and thecanvas outer cover 52 are placed thereover and tied to the cot frame.The netting cover 50 is stitched to the under side of the canvas outercover 52, midway its length as at 53, as shown in Figure 1 whereby thetransverse stitching 53 affixes the cover 52 to the netting cover 50 sothat they are joined together, but permits the ends of the cover 52 tobe folded back thereby selectively exposing the netting cover at eitherend from the center of the cot tent.

While the best known form of this invention has been shown in theaccompanying drawing and described herein, other forms may becommercially realized as coming within the scope of the invention,defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

A cot tent comprising a cot frame including longitudinal, parallel siderails and transverse end rails connecting the ends of the side rails andhaving projecting ends that project beyond the side rails, uprightssocketed in holes in the end rails, a hinged ridge pole horizontallyextending between the end rails, means removably securing the ridge poleto the upper ends of the uprights, a mesh netting covered draped overthe ridge pole and having sides and ends with the ends being in twocomplementary sections, said sides and ends having edge flaps thatoverlie the outer side faces of the rails, tie strings on the flaps tosecure the flaps to the rails, a canvas cover of a shape identical tothe shape of the netting cover and overlying the netting cover and beingjoined midway its ends to the netting cover by transverse stitching sothat it can be folded back from the netting cover at either end, saidcanvas cover having sides and sectional ends, said sides and ends of thecanvas cover having edge flaps that overlie the edge flaps on thenetting cover, said edge flaps of the canvas cover having tie strings tosecure them to the rails, and said tie strings for both covers beingsecured to the projecting ends of the end rails.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,255,224 Purcell Feb. 5, 1918 1,411,272 Eaton Apr. 4, 1922 1,433,457Hunter Oct. 24, 1922 1,509,881 Severin Sept. 30, 1924 1,633,820 Long etal. June 28, 1927 2,266,405 Bodling Dec. 16, 1941

